The Pumpkin Patch

Last week we went with some friends to the pumpkin patch. The kids had lots of fun!

(My man is totally hot.....just sayin')










They have a maze for the kids made out of hay bales.


I could barely keep up with McKenna!


Picking out pumpkins.




There is something about big, open spaces that induces running in my children. You can barely see them in the distance here.


JJ is counting down the days until Halloween. We can't wait!

A Bit about JJ and McKenna

Well, I thought I'd give a little update on the kids.

Lately, JJ has developed an imaginary friend named Jacob. JJ DOES have an actual, real-life friend named Jacob, and at first that's who we thought he was talking about. But they don't see each other often, and we soon realized that there is a pretend Jacob too.

It's Jacob this and Jacob that. Each day Jacob does something new and we get to hear about it. Today Jacob turned into a square robot. Yesterday Jacob turned into an alien. JJ says that Jacob is a big boy- that is the only description we have of him. Everything JJ talks about is in relation to Jacob. "When I grow up to be a big boy like Jacob..." or "Jacob likes this show" or "Jacob thinks this will be a good toy for JJ's birthday." At preschool JJ made a little 'All About You' book, and when the teacher asked him who is best friend was, JJ naturally said Jacob. When we ask where Jacob lives, JJ seems so annoyed, "In his HOUSE!" (Duh! Where else would he live?)

We love our JJ- he is so cute. He is really good at helping take care of McKenna. Today his primary teacher gave him a bag of candy, and he shared half of it with her. I didn't even ask him to. He holds her hand, and helps her all the time.

He is tall enough that he can start to help us unload the dishwasher. Every morning he knows it is his job to put away all the utensils. He loves to help. He is also in charge of feeding the dog, and letting him in and out throughout the day.

McKenna is a live-wire. She was such a mellow and easy-going baby but as soon as she turned one, someone flipped a switch. She is constantly running, screaming, LOUD as can be, and full of SO MUCH emotion and energy. We are working on helping her with her temper. She knows that she can't hit, and is pretty good about not hitting others, but she does hit herself. When she gets mad this is what happens:
1. She SHRIEKS!
2. She clenches her fists, holds her breath, and her little face turns red
3. She hits herself with both hands on the face and/or runs to the couch and SLAMS her face into it and/or flings herself onto the floor and rolls around.
4. She has hurt feelings because now she is both mad and has an owie so she covers her face and wails.
5. Then she comes to me for a big hug. (Even if I am the one who originally made her mad.)

This probably happens 10 times a day. I used to laugh, but now it's getting old. I'm trying to teach her to take deep breaths when she gets mad.

She also has an unhealthy obsession with balloons. If I get balloons for the kids it is not ok with McKenna if JJ has one. She must have ALL of them. If hers pops, it is like the end of the world. I honestly can't even describe it. And the hardest part about it is that balloons are EVERYWHERE! The grocery store, the craft store, the haircut place, other kid's houses, etc. McKenna yells, "Boos Boos Boos!" And at each public place I tell her, "No balloon today" and she has another tantrum. I used to buy them for her because they make her so happy, but it has gotten so bad that James has placed a ban on all balloons from our house. It is sad, but I must admit that it has been a lot more peaceful since the ban.

She is talking more and more. Her favorite thing to say is, *GASP* "OH NOOOOO!" (Yes, she does an audible gasp.) It is very dramatic and very cute. I love her to death. She has such a funny sense of humor. Whenever I tell her to say Mommy she says, "Cookie" because she knows it makes me laugh. She will say everyone else's name but only Cookie for Mommy. She loves to play peek-a-boo, and loves it when I sing to her. She loves the show, Super Why, or "Why Why" and knows that letters each have a name and meaning. (Although she doesn't know what those are) Every time she sees letters she points, and wants you to tell her what the letters are.

I think that as she is able to talk more and more, some of her frustrations will go away. I think that she will be a good little helper as she gets bigger, and has more ways to channel her energy. The busier I keep her, the easier things go.

First Day of Preschool

JJ started Preschool this week. At first he wasn't so sure about the idea, but once he realized that he would get to go and play with all of his little friends he was really excited. I thought about just doing one year of preschool, but JJ has been so bored and honestly, I think he gets a little sick of being with me all day. So this has been a great diversion. Here is on the first day of school:



He is starting to look more and more grown-up to me. He has a very light sprinkle of freckles starting to appear on his little nose and cheeks, and I think he'll have a lot more by next year. He was SO EXCITED about going to his first day of school.



I thought McKenna would be glad to have a couple hours with me to herself and without having to share toys, but the whole time she kind of moped around the house and yelled "Day Day! Day Day!" She missed her big brother. This was a surprise to me, because it seems like all they do is fight sometimes.



When I first started looking into preschools I was really disappointed to find that the going rate in our area is around $100 per month. I think that is out of control. So when I heard that some other moms in the neighborhood were putting together a joy school type class, I jumped at the chance. School is 2 days a week for 2 hours each day, and each week it is taught by one of the moms. We sat down and mapped out all of the themes, field trips, and lessons we want covered each week. Each person has to teach 6 weeks. I am a little nervous about teaching, but we have such a great group of kids, I think that once I get into a groove it will be really fun.



The moms showed up just as the kids were finishing their tasting time.

Recent Events

McKenna is growing up fast. She loves to run and can play just as roughly as JJ, but she is definitely all girl. Today at the museum she discovered the play kitchen, and she stayed in there for the better part of an hour. (Good thing it's right next to the construction area- I can watch both kids at once.) She is starting to speak in three word sentences like "Bye bye Daddy." and "Thank you JJ." Here she is feeding her baby a bottle.


We decided that she should get her first haircut. This is what she looks like in the morning.


She didn't mind the haircut at all. I think it has helped that she's seen JJ do it so many times.


Notice in the video how she says, "CHEESE!" when she notices me with the camera!


And here is the After:

Now she has bangs and I can't decide if I really like them or not.

Later that day I caught them feeding each other potato chips. Notice that McKenna's hair is once again in her eyes. Oh well, eventually I hope it will go to the sides and not all forward.



Naked Babies in the Tub

I love these kids and know that I am a lucky Mom!



PS- I have MAD bongo skills!

Ramblings of a Stressed-Out Mother

Yesterday I decided that James and I needed to write down all of our upcoming commitments on our calendar. I have three things this whole month that I am doing.

1. Visiting teaching on Tuesday
2. Go to a missionary homecoming on the 16th
3. Host the ward book group at my house on the 26th.

James is a stake auditor (I wish he was a steak auditor, mmmmm…..) And has to do 3 audits this month. When will they be? Tuesday, the 16th, and the 26th. It seems that if we were not Mormons, we would have a LOT of free time.

So, here is my dilemma:

My kids go to bed at 7:00 or 7:30. My VT companion’s husband does not get home from work until 7:30. Even if I can find someone to watch my kids on Tuesday they will probably be naughty/ornery/tired/etc. and the poor soul who volunteers to watch them will say to themselves, “NEVER AGAIN!” And I won’t blame them at all.

Also, and I really hope I don’t offend anyone here, but husbands are home in the evenings. And if I don’t really know the husband then I am not really comfortable with that. (This is probably because when I was little I remember being yelled at by three different dads of my friends and being really and truly terrified! Guess I was naughty too!) I know that beggars can’t be choosers. But I am a chooser when it comes to who takes care of my kids, and that is why I don’t go anywhere or do anything. It is my own fault. I know I am too overprotective, but I’m not sure how to change it or if I really want to.

McKenna takes a nap from 1:00 to 3:00 every afternoon. You do not mess with this nap time. EVER. Bad things will happen. The homecoming on the 16th is right during this time. I had no intention of bringing the kids to this because first, it is nap time and second, even if it weren’t I would not be able to enjoy the meeting or visit with anyone afterward.

When you have kids it is almost impossible enjoy church (until it’s time for nursery/primary and they become someone else’s problem. I know that sounds harsh, but we’ve paid our dues: we were in the nursery for 2 years right after we had JJ.) My time in church is entirely spent on keeping little voices quiet and little hands occupied. It’s hard. I missed portions of both of my grandmother’s funerals to wrestle with screaming children in the hallway. I still feel horrible about both of those, because not only was my ability to pay tribute to my grandparents compromised, so was everyone else’s.

Whenever I’m at church and someone else’s kid starts screaming or crying I am secretly glad, because now some of the attention is diverted away from my kids. The point? I really struggle with taking my kids to any place where they are expected to sit nicely and quietly.

As for the 26th: That is the night of the HOA meeting. And the book group at my house. And the audit. So what will probably happen is that while we are trying to discuss the profoundness of The Scarlet Pimpernel and To Kill a Mockingbird, we will probably be interrupted by a little boy who will treat us to a display of various achievements/sound effects/ bodily functions that three-year-old boys possess. There is only one good thing about this: This will most likely be the first and last time that I am asked to host the book group.

I stared at the ceiling until 1:00am last night contemplating all of this. I love my kids so much, but sometimes I really don’t know where to put them, or what to do with them. I guess every mom feels this way sometimes, right?

Fun with Yearbook Yourself

We had a little too much fun today messing around at yearbookyourself.com today. AAhhh, lazy Sundays. Here are the Results:

James



Marianne



JJ



McKenna



And the most hilarious of all, Sparky. These pictures are just wrong.

Memories

Recently I happened to be driving near my old neighborhood and decided to drive by the house that I grew up in. There were workers outside who were fixing the mailbox. They were doing brick and cement work to enclose it.

When I lived in that house (my whole life until I went to college) the mailbox was connected to a large planter that was made out of brick that matched the house. Every year I planted flowers in it with my mom. I used to play there with my friends. We would try to jump off of it with our roller skates on. Every now and then some ants would start to build ant hills there and I would have a lot of fun pouring water over them and flooding them out.

But the best memory I have of that mailbox happened when I was in high school. Bob, my step-dad, had been doing yard work one night. He was pulling out some bushes that lined the driveway but had become overgrown. Bob tied a rope around the roots of the bushes, tied the other end to the back of his truck, and then would floor it to rip the bushes out. In order to do this, he had to move our blue Subaru station wagon back several feet to make room for the truck. (My first car, aka: the gutless blue-wonder- I still miss that car!)

Well, Bob never pulled the Subaru back to it’s usual position when he was done that night. The next morning my mom and I were running a little late to get me to school. This was before I could drive, so I must have been in 10th grade. We ran into the car, my mom gunned it, and crashed straight into the mailbox, hitting the mailbox's planter.

Then, one of the funniest moments of my life occurred: My mom said, “SHIT!” I guess this is only funny if you know my mom. She has been a dedicated church employee for almost 20 years. She is the relief society president in her ward. She probably has never seen an R rated movie. She was raised in a very proper home where good etiquette was strictly enforced. She is one of the most faithful, well-mannered, and even-tempered people I know. Now, that’s not to say that relief society presidents and church employees don’t swear, it’s just that this is so NOT my mom!

Bob ran outside to see what all the commotion was about. He asked, “What happened?” My mom got out of the car, tearfully ran to hug Bob, and sobbed, “I said a BAD WORD!”

Never mind any damage that the car or the mailbox may have incurred, the real tragedy in this scenario was that a cussword escaped.

From then on, every time I saw the spot where a couple of bricks were broken off the mailbox, I had a good laugh. It reminded me of my mom and Bob, and of the good times that we had.

Bob died two years ago. About 6 months before his death, he and my mom sold that house. Because the house was sold and Bob died so closely together, I tend to lump those two events together in my mind. Not only is Bob gone, but the house that we shared together, the house that we fought in, the house that we learned to love each other in, the house that Bob caught me sluffing school with a boy in (whoops!), the house where all of my memories of the life that we had together is gone.

So when I saw them covering up the mailbox, I got a little teary-eyed. It was hard to see. But I guess that’s life.

Sometimes I think maybe we should tell the new homeowners about our dog that we buried just next to the swing set…

No, if they are going to go around messing up all of my memories, they deserve to come across a dog skeleton or two.